Doc. 9450

7 May 2002

Conservation and use of the landscape potential of Russia and of the whole of Europe

Motion for a recommendation

presented by Mr Sudarenkov and others

The Russian Federation is the biggest landscape power in the world. Conservation and competent use of Russia’s natural and socio-natural landscapes potential largely determine not only the living standard of Russian people but also that of the population of the European continent.

Taking this into account, the Assembly considers it an important initiative by Russian non-government organisations - the National Trust and The Foundation for the Preservation of the National Landscape - to set up a joint project “Creating the Pan-European system of national (sustainable) socio-natural landscapes as an effective mechanism for a stable development” under the umbrella of the Council of Europe and the EU .

It is proposed that the first part of the Russian component of the project will include a number of areas in the North-Western and Central regions, in the Volga area and in Eastern Siberia. An effective social-economic development of these specific areas would put into practice, in these regional projects, a socio-landscape method of approach (development of a landscape-conscious agriculture, sustainable forestry, landscape tourism) without destruction of the integrity and stability of the landscapes which they contain.

The final purpose of such a model of development is a substantial rise in the native population’s living standard, first of all through elimination of unemployment, improvement of occupational skills and increase of educational level and wages, through wholesome diet, decent housing and healthy lifestyle.

The Federation Council and the Russian regions supported very actively from the very beginning these Russian citizen initiatives. They were also enthusiastically welcomed during the Civil Forum which took place under the patronage of the Russian President last November in Moscow. The Government of the Russian Federation instructed certain federal ministries to prepare a draft government decree “On conservation and use of the landscape potential of Russia” based on the report of the National Trust.

Priceless experience of conservation and effective use of unique and everyday landscapes has been accumulated in Europe. It consists of the European Landscape Convention of the Council of Europe and the landscape legislation of a number of European countries, landscape planning, environmental education and co-operation with people. The Russian public was confirmed in this approach by working with its partners in a European Exchange program and the resultant European Network of National

Heritage Organisations. The Assembly thinks that conservation and sustainable development of the unique landscape potential and variety within the Euro-Asian continent is possible only through the joint efforts of European countries and the public. It recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

1.        create an international project under the umbrella of the Council of Europe and the EU , including a list of natural and national (sustainable) socio-natural landscapes of Europe, and then of Euro-Asia, in order to create a common Pan-European network of these landscapes. Taking into account the importance of the landscape potential of Russia for Europe as a whole, it is proposed - as a first step - to create a Russian component of this project.

2.        set up in Russia the International Landscape Centre of the Council of Europe for co-ordination of this project, exchange of experience and furtherance of the main initiatives of European countries and the European continent as a whole, and to combine the efforts of all European countries and the public to solve such an important problem.

3.       accredit a Russian initiator of this project – a non-commercial enterprise “Conservation and creation of national landscapes”; “National Trust” with the Council of Europe”.

Signed : ¹

Sudarenkov, Russia, SOC

Bakulin, Russia, UEL

Christoudoulides, Cyprus, UEL

Fedorov, Russia, EDG

Gross, Switzerland, SOC

Jansson, Finland, LDR

Judd, United Kingdom, SOC

Laakso, Finland, UEL

Naumov, Russia, LDR

Oliynyk, Ukraine, UEL

Rakhansky, Ukraine, UEL

Sharandin, Russia, EDG

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR: Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group